


Lily of the Valley

by McSquiggles



Category: Tales of Zestiria
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, M/M, Not too much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2016-09-11
Packaged: 2018-08-14 09:45:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8008657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/McSquiggles/pseuds/McSquiggles
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mikleo said as he kept his back to Sorey, shaking quietly, <i>"Why does it always have to be you?"<i></i></i></p><p> <br/>Post Epilogue setting with some hurt and comfort and fluff<br/></p>
            </blockquote>





	Lily of the Valley

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Hopefully you enjoy the story and again I'm sorry if anything is weird or OOC. I was originally going to write something else but this quote stuck out to me while I was reading today and the idea wouldn't leave my head until I wrote it down. If you're wondering about the title, Lily of the Valley flowers it can mean in the language of flowers such things as return of happiness, Humility, Lucky in love, Healing, Making the right choice, Let's make up, Sweetness, and Unity so I thought it fit kinda well with the whole thing going on. Anyways I hope you enjoy!
> 
> EDIT:  
> I drew fanart for the scene near the end if anyone is interested~
> 
> https://twitter.com/mcsquiggles616/status/775909009098498048

“Why does it always have to be you?”  
  
Sorey blinked as he turned back around to Mikleo, watching as his bangs covered his eyes as he looked off to the side quietly.  
  
“Did you say something?” Sorey asked confused, wondering what that soft whisper could have been. Just a moment before he had been talking with the representative of a small town to the north. Mikleo had even contributed yet the minute the man had asked Sorey for the favor he had stayed quiet, hanging back as promises were exchanged.  
  
The man’s town had started to be covered in malevolence, though in this new era Sorey woke up to, that was a rare case. Yet with all the current Shepherds already taking care of other business and the situation getting steadily worse, it seemed only natural that they would send someone to ask the renown ex-Shepard Sorey to help.  
  
When Sorey had first woken up after his long slumber, he had a vague idea of who he was, yet he knew he had to find Mikleo. He was the only memory that stayed strong in his mind as he wandered the ruins as a newborn seraph. The relief he had felt when he finally found him and saved him from falling was almost overwhelming. Yet it was nothing compared to the emotions that had swept Mikleo. The second he was safely placed on the floor he had burst into tears, scaring Sorey. He might not have remembered much but he knew that such an uncontrolled display of tears was unheard of from the water seraph.  
  
Guilt had filled Sorey as Mikleo held onto him and tried to control his emotions. After they both managed to calm down they had spent hours talking, trying to regain the sense of balance that they once had. Sorey felt panic when he first sat with Mikleo, worrying that maybe something had changed after so many centuries of them being apart, yet the minute Mikleo had given him a soft smile, beautiful enough to take his breath away and with the power to purify any hellion, he knew he had nothing to be scared of.  
  
Mikleo had seemed surprised that he remembered anything at all, quickly blushing when Sorey had explained how Mikleo was the strongest memory he had. He might barely remember his human life, but he had a feeling that time would bring back the most important things.  
  
Even after they returned to Elysia to a crowd of Sorey’s seraph family covering him in hugs and heartfelt cries, Sorey tried his best to remember. He remembered little things and learned new things. He learned that he was a lightning seraph after an unfortunate accident where Sorey happened to sneeze and make a bush burst into flames, causing him to panic and run to Mikleo. As everyone gathered to see the cause of the commotion they quickly gave him heartfelt congratulations, telling him how proud Zenrus would have been. Sorey had been confused at the name until he felt a sharp pain in his chest, a kind smile and the smell of smoke from a pipe coming back to him in a rush that knocked the breath out of him.  
  
The memories of his late Guardian quickly filled him mind. Mikleo had known something had been wrong when Sorey had quickly excused himself and locked himself in his house. Yet it wasn’t until the next day when he failed to come out that Mikleo knew Sorey needed more than just space. Mikleo had gone in to the house to find Sorey curled under his covers, dried tears on his cheek as Mikleo quietly laid down next to him. They spent close to a week curled up on his bed, Mikleo giving small words of comfort and holding his hand gently as Sorey grieved for the man that had raised him with so much love and care.  
  
He learned that Maotelus had given him the gift to purify hellions, something he hadn’t realized until Mikleo had sensed it within him while he helped Sorey practice his artes. The thought that the renown Shepard Sorey would be gifted with purifying powers after all he did for Glenwood wasn’t too hard for everyone to fathom.  
  
He had learned that having long hair was a lot of work but he learned to love it as Mikleo would help brush it and tie it for him. Mikleo had offered to cut it but Sorey couldn’t part with it after feeling Mikleo’s fingers running through his hair the first time he helped him, careful and well trained. He couldn’t part with that feeling so he didn’t hesitate to keep it. Anyways it made him happy knowing that he matched with Mikleo.  
  
Mikleo never would admit out loud he would have missed it, yet Sorey knew he would by the way he would absentmindedly touch his hair or hold a stray lock in his hand when they both laid next to each other to read. Sorey knew he liked it when he spotted Mikleo smiling softly while he combed his hair once, watching from the corner of his eye on the mirror left lying on its side on top of the bookcase. Sorey memorized the moment, the soft light from the fire lighting up Mikleo’s soft features, giving him a warm glow as he gently brushed his hair.  
  
He remembered Rose’s laugh and Alisha’s smile, both of whom had lived long lives and passed on peacefully. The one thing he never forgot was Mikleo, yet he remembered some memories they shared, a blush covering his face for a whole day after remembering the blunder he had made when they had their first kiss years ago in their youth. The fact that Sorey had practically knocked Mikleo’s teeth off when he too eagerly had kissed him made him so embarrassed he couldn’t even look at Mikleo the whole day.  
  
It wasn’t until that same night that Mikleo had coax the reason out of him, which made him laugh at the memory, earning a pout from Sorey.  
  
After a time where Sorey had adjusted, they had said their goodbyes and set off, finally exploring all the ruins that they had talked about as children. Mikleo led them through plains and forests, showing him all the things he had discovered and all the things he knew Sorey would love. The met with Lailah and Edna, Lailah practically throwing herself at him in delight where Edna given him a rare smile. Both hadn’t changed much if at all, though Edna quickly proceeded to tease him and Mikleo the moment she saw the feather hanging from Mikleo’s ear that she knew was a new gift from Sorey. Seems no matter how much time passed, Edna was the master at making Mikleo flustered, something Sorey made sure to thank her for when Mikleo wasn’t around, knowing Edna had helped Mikleo through the rough years while Sorey slept.  
  
They came across Zaveid who had practically crushed Sorey’s lungs in a hug the minute he had spotted him. They traveled for a while across the mountains before Zaveid had proclaimed he had taken up enough of their honeymoon time, giving them a teasing look as he watched Mikleo straighten Sorey’s cloak absentmindedly before he realized what he was doing. Mikleo turned red and refused to look Sorey, realizing how carefree they had been with their touches in front of Zaveid without realizing.  
  
Yet Zaveid had only laughed happily and clapped them both the shoulder before heading off in the direction the wind had taken him.  
It wasn’t long before people found out the legendary Shepard Sorey had woken as a seraph and now traveled with the high-ranking seraphim Mikleo. Now that the majority of people could see seraphim, Sorey spent a lot of time being asked to give a kind word or advice on a situation whenever he had been recognized in towns.  
  
But this was different; no one had ever asked him to help purify anything, let alone a town. The current Shepherds that roamed the continent kept a vigilant eye on any situation that might give rise to malevolence. Yet the town had been swept up in a matter of days, which caused alarm.  
  
Mikleo knew Sorey would never hesitate to help but that didn’t stop the dread from creeping into his heart. After brushing off Sorey’s question he had begun to prepare for the journey north, ignoring the looks Sorey gave him every time he though he wasn’t looking.  
  
“If you don’t want to come with me it’ll be fine Mikleo.”  
  
Mikleo’s head snapped up so fast he was surprised he didn’t break anything. He looked at Sorey who had his back to him as he finished packing his things from the small inn dresser. He turned his head towards Mikleo and gave him a sheepish smile, “I know I agreed without even asking you, so it’s fine if you wait here for me and then when I’m done and come back we can head off to those ruins we heard about east of here.”  
  
Sorey fixed his bag onto his back before he looked at Mikleo again, waiting for him to agree, yet he didn’t expect the glare he was giving him. Mikleo looked like he wanted to strangle Sorey with his ponytail.  
  
“Do you honestly believe I’ll let you go to a hellion infested town on your own?” came the dreadfully quiet reply as Sorey began to fidget under Mikleo’s stare.  
  
“W-well, you seem like you don’t want to go and I won’t force you to.” He said sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head nervously, he felt like he was being stared at by a dragon, yet twice as scary.  
  
“Sorey, you’re still a new seraph, you’ve only been awake for a couple years and you’ve barely gotten the hang of your powers recently, there’s no way you can handle that situation on your own.”  
  
“I don’t want you being placed in danger just because of me though.” He said, stopping himself from saying anything more the minute he noticed Mikleo’s glare intensify, he didn’t want to say anything stupid like how he knew Mikleo couldn’t purify hellions. They had that fight years ago when he had become the new Shepard and he didn’t want to repeat it.  
  
Yet all Mikleo did was let out a sigh before he turned back around to finish packing his things. Sorey blinked in surprise, he didn’t expect to have the fight leave Mikleo so quickly without another jab at him at least. He opened his mouth to say anything to help relieve some of the tension.  
  
“I’m not worried about myself, I’m worried that you’re going to take on too much and sacrifice yourself again.”  
  
The words that were in Sorey’s mouth evaporated as he realized what Mikleo was implying. He knew they had talked about how Mikleo had been strained emotionally when Sorey had first woken up, yet he barely began to realize the exact extent of the emotional toll he had put on Mikleo while he slept. It seemed Mikleo had gotten better at hiding his pain, or Sorey had just been so distracted with his new life and remembering his past he didn’t even realize what was happening right in front of him.  
  
“Mikleo…this isn’t going to be the same as with Heldalf, I’m only going to purify the town and that’ll be the end of it.” He said quietly as he made his way to Mikleo, “Anyways if there was even a new Lord of Calamity to appear again, the Shepherds will handle them.  
  
“You know I can’t leave a town to suffer if I can do something to help.”  
  
“What happens when something else needs purifying and people come to you again? When they forget the current Shepherds in favor of having you help instead?” Mikleo said as he shook quietly, keeping his back to Sorey. _“Why does it always have to be you?” _  
  
The silence that followed felt like an eternity as Sorey put the pieces together in his mind. He knew that no matter what Mikleo was saying, he knew he didn’t mean they should abandon the people or ignore the pleas for help. Mikleo would have rushed over himself if they had asked him instead, power to purify hellions or not. He knew Mikleo was hurting, dreading the thought of losing Sorey again, permanently this time. Seraphim didn’t come back after being killed.  
  
Mikleo stayed still as Sorey hugged him quietly from behind, pulling him gently towards him. They stayed quiet for a moment before Mikleo gave out a shaky breath, quietly relaxing against Sorey’s chest, leaning his weight against him almost as if the heavy weight of those years apart were falling on top of him all at once. Sorey rubbed his cheek against his shoulder in a quiet show of support while Mikleo slowly got a hold of his emotions. There wasn’t much that Sorey could do while Mikleo struggled with himself except show him that he was there, that he wouldn’t leave him again. He would fight anyone to stay with Mikleo.  
  
He knew Mikleo would take longer than a couple of years to be able to get rid of the pain he had carried for centuries. It was only natural, yet Sorey couldn’t help but kick himself mentally for not thinking of it sooner.  
  
Mikleo had seemed so happy while they had been together, though that didn’t mean he wasn’t. The fact still remained that Sorey should have paid more attention to his mental wellbeing. He needed to help him process the pain and work through it, help him let go and not just to repress it and hope the happy memories pile on top and kept it out of sight. Mikleo had done nothing but watch over Sorey and coach him gently as he learned new things and struggled to remember the old things and yet Sorey had failed noticed the extant of the struggle going on within Mikleo.  
  
“I’m sorry Mikleo, I should have taken your feelings into consideration, seems I’m still a little naïve.” Sorey said softly as he nuzzled Mikleo’s neck gently. For a beat they stayed like that, taking in the presence of the other before Mikleo let out a soft laugh. Almost like he was out of breath.  
  
“A little naïve might just be a bit of an understatement.” He said quietly as he turned in Sorey’s arms to bury his face in his shoulder. Sorey opened his mouth to defend himself before he stopped and instead pulled Mikleo closer. He rubbed small circle on his back to help Mikleo relax. Mikleo clung to him, trying to find the right words to apologize and explain but Sorey just kissed the top of his head, in a silent show of support, he didn’t need words to understand what he was trying to say. He knew Mikleo better than he knew himself, just because he had let himself be distracted for a while didn’t mean he would make the same mistake again.  
  
Later after they had check out of the inn, they made their way north. Mikleo seemed like he had some of the weight lifted off his shoulders as he walked besides Sorey, his hand brushing against Sorey’s as they walked.  
  
They traveled for the better part of a day and a half before they found themselves near the town. Even from a distance they could fell the malevolence, making the faintly familiar crushing weight settle over Sorey’s chest. Since waking up he hadn’t encountered any large scale malevolence, so the weight made him almost stop in his tracks before he willed himself to continue walking, not wanting to worry Mikleo. Yet he knew that from the look Mikleo gave him that he had noticed his discomfort.  
  
They quietly entered the town and it wasn’t long before the encountered the representative of the town they had met before. He took them through the small town, explaining again how many people had begun to feel sick, the malevolence poisoning them from the inside. From the looks people gave them they knew the people were in desperate need of help.  
  
Once the ones who could see the seraphim spotted them, it wasn’t long before people gathered around them. They gave cries of joy when they realized who had come to save them and it wasn’t long before they began to offer them tributes.  
  
Sorey and Mikleo quickly but politely maneuvered away from the people before they began their investigation. The town was already struggling enough, the last thing they wanted was to take any supplies that they knew the town desperately needed.  
  
They walked through the town and asked a couple of questions. Many people were bed ridden from high fevers that caused hallucinations. Not long after the illness a group of wolf hellions had begun to roam the town at night, keeping people trapped in their homes at until the sun rose. They all agreed that it had all began around the same time, yet nothing extraordinary had occurred in the town than. No new stranger or unusual event had taken place.  
  
“Maybe we’re not looking at this properly.” Mikleo said, resting his chin on his hand as he stared off deep in thought. Sorey looked at him confused, absentmindedly tucking a loose hair behind Mikleo’s ear.  
  
“What do you mean? There doesn’t seem to be any large event that could have triggered the malevolence.”  
  
Mikleo nodded and looked over at him, eyes sharp. “Maybe that’s the problem, we’re looking for something big or something completely new.  
  
“What if what we’re looking for might have happened quietly? Something to someone already living here that could have given rise to all the malevolence.”  
  
Sorey nodded, taking into consideration what he said before he got an idea. He quickly headed back to the town square where he had last seen the representative, Mikleo close behind him as they passed through the town. Yet as he passed by a small brick home he stopped when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye.  
  
“Sorey? What’s wron-,“ Mikleo began before Sorey quickly covered his mouth and pulled him behind the building. He watched as a small girl of around eleven years old pass by, head hanging as she quietly headed into the forest surrounding the town. Mikleo watched quietly, dread filling the pit of his stomach as realization hit him. The malevolence seemed to be thicker around the small girl as the forest swallowed her. Mikleo looked over at Sorey to say that they should chase after the girl before he noticed Sorey looked pained.  
  
He was hunched over with a hand gripping the fabric of his cloak tightly. Mikleo quickly held onto him as Sorey tried to get a hold of himself.  
  
“S-sorry..seems I’m still not used to it.” Sorey said with a sheepish smile, relaxing into Mikleo’s touch before he took a deep breath and straightened himself. “We should go after her before we lose her.”  
  
“You shouldn’t push yourself too much Sorey, we should go back and rest.” Mikleo argued while he kept a sharp eye on him. “The last thing you need is to get worse and risk getting tainted.”  
  
Sorey flashed him a smile, “That’s why I have you here thought right? How can I become tainted if I have you to keep me pure? Anyways we should hurry since the sky is beginning to darken.”  
  
Mikleo could have killed him for his embarrassing choice of words as he felt his face turn a bright shade of red. Before he could say anything else however, Sorey began to head into the forest after the girl. He quickly shook his head to clear it before heading off after him.  
  
As they got closer to the source of malevolence, Mikleo made sure he kept an eye on Sorey, taking note of any other signs of discomfort. Yet it wasn’t long before they came to a small house. As they got closer the noticed the girl stood off to the side, standing in front of a make shift grave.  
  
They stopped as the little girl looked over to them in surprise. She quickly stood up and held a shovel that seemed too heavy for her arms and pointed it at them.  
  
“Who are you?! What do you want?! I don’t have any money so you can just leave!” she said as she glared at them.  
  
Sorey quickly raised his hands in surrender as he gave the small girl a sheepish smile.  
  
“We’re not here to take your money or anything! We just wanted to talk to you.”  
  
She looked at him skeptically before flashing a suspicious look at Mikleo as well. “How am I supposed to believe that? You could just wait until I let my guard down before you attack me.”  
  
“Why would we be stealing from you? If we wanted anything we would have stolen it from the better off residents in town.” Mikleo countered as he looked at the little girl.  
  
“Mikleo!”  
  
“It’s the truth, anyways I’m sure she saw how the villagers were practically giving us the deed to the town, why would we give up all the offerings to just come rob someone?”  
  
Hesitating only for a minute longer, the little girl set the shovel back down. Yet she kept a guarded look on them. “In that case, what do you want with me?”  
“Like I said, we just want to talk.” Sorey said happily, lowering his arms as he watched the little girl, watching as the malevolence surrounding her seemed to lessen slightly as she lowered the shovel.  
  
She seemed to hesitate before nodding.  
  
“My names Sorey by the way, and he’s Mikleo” Sorey said as he gestured between them.  
  
“My names…Sarah” the little girl, Sarah, replied quietly.  
  
Sorey smiled as he looked around. “Well Sarah, we were just wondering if you had noticed anything weird lately. Seems like everyone is getting sick.”  
  
Sarah seemed to blink in surprise before looking at both of them. “Do you mean about the weird dark air hanging around?” she asked quietly.  
  
They nodded but before they could ask anything else Sorey let out a small gasp of pain as he clutched at his chest, almost falling to his knees.  
  
“Sorey!” Mikleo said as he quickly grabbed a hold of him to help keep him standing, the hair in the back of his neck raising as he noticed the malevolence thickening, but instead of it surrounding the girl, it seemed to come from the edge of the trees. He looked over to the trees as he noticed a large white wolf hellion emerging from the trees, flanked on both sides by a small group of a half dozen black furred wolf hellions.  
  
The little girl gave a muffled gasp of fright as she stared wide eyed at the wolves. The fight she had shown earlier had been sucked out of her the moment the wolves had appeared. Mikleo cursed quietly under his breath as he pulled Sorey closer, supporting most of his weight.  
  
“Get into the house!” he shouted at Sarah, making her snap her head towards him in surprise before running towards the building. Mikleo didn’t hesitate as he quickly picked up Sorey in his arms, trying not to think about how limp he was or how labored his breathing had become as he dashed to the opened door.  
  
Behind him the wolves gave off a chorus of blood curdling howls before they dashed towards them. Mikleo practically throwing himself into the house before the little girl slammed the door shut and placed the bolt lock over it. The wolves slammed into the door, trying to break through, luckily for the three of them the door held.  
  
Mikleo let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding before gently setting down Sorey on the bare mattress on the floor. Sorey kept his eyes shut tightly as he struggled to keep his breathing even, the heavy feeling in his chest making him whimper softly in pain. Mikleo bit his lip quietly as he summoned his staff. He knew they should have better prepared themselves but with the quick turn of events there hadn’t been any time for him to cast any protecting artes over Sorey.  
  
As he worked to ease Sorey’s discomfort he noticed Sarah clutching a small wooden figure as she sat huddled by the wall. Mikleo looked at her as she held it tighter to her chest.  
  
“I’m so sorry...this is all my fault…” she said quietly, tears spilling out of her eyes as she turned to look at Sorey. “If it wasn’t for me the town wouldn’t have had to suffer…”  
  
“It’s not your fault, whatever happened couldn’t have been intentional.” Mikleo replied as he cast his arte, he looked at Sarah, worried about how the malevolence and guilt would begin to affect her.  
  
“You didn’t do anything wrong…you loved your dog…”  
  
Mikleo blinked as he looked down at Sorey. Sorey opened his eyes a bit as he turned his head to look at the little girl, giving her a weak, yet warm, smile.  
  
“Dog?” Mikleo asked confused as he noticed the shock on the little girl’s face.  
  
Sorey looked up at Mikleo weakly, giving him a sheepish smile. “The grave…It had an inscription…and judging how the malevolence surrounds her but doesn’t affect her it seems the large white hellion is protecting her…”  
  
Mikleo’s eyes widened as he thought about everything he had said, it all made sense but.  
  
“Why would her dog be full of malevolence if there isn’t anything to corrupt him? An untimely death would have been one thing, but it would have needed something worse to set off such a domain.” Mikleo said as he finished his casting and looked at the little girl.  
  
She bit her lip as she continued to clutch at the wooden figure in her hands. “It’s my fault…I kept begging him not to leave me alone…I didn’t have anyone but Riley and I don’t know how to approach anyone else…if I had only let him rest then…”  
  
Mikleo and Sarah both jumped as they heard a howl on the other side of the door, watching as the wolves began to slam into the door again. Sorey grit his teeth as he tried to sit up before Mikleo gently but firmly pushed him down on the bed again.  
  
“Oh no you don’t, you need to rest, I cast my artes over you but you’re still severely weakened by the malevolence.” Mikleo told him firmly as he stood up. “I’ll deal with the hellions.”  
  
Sorey’s eyes widened as he looked up at Mikleo. “You can’t! You don’t have the power of purification!”  
  
Mikleo gave him a small smile while he walked over to an old window in the opposite side of the small house, after taking a look at it carefully he opened it with a firm push before turning back to the ex-Shepard.  
  
“Give me some credit Sorey, I did last centuries without having the power of purification on my side.” Mikleo said before he turned to Sarah. “Whatever you do, don’t open the door or window until I come back and tell you to.” He said as he quickly jumped through the window, closing it shut behind him.  
  
Sorey tried to sit up quickly in a panic before he fell back down onto the mattress, the world spinning as he clenched his teeth in frustration. He knew he couldn’t let Mikleo fight the hellions on his own, and knowing him he was probably going to use himself as bait to lure them away from the house. He tried again to stand before he managed to get to his knees, but it didn’t last long before he collapsed back down weakly.  
  
Mikleo knew there was only so much he could do against the hellions. He could cast his strongest arte but it wouldn’t do any good without the power of purification. Yet he continued to cast them as he caught the attention of the hellions. He considered it a small victory when they locked their sights on him and left the house alone.  
  
The first step of his plan was a success, he just hoped he could come up with the next step quickly as he made a run for it into the woods, luring the hellions away from Sarah and Sorey. He didn’t know what direction he ran, he just hoped he could get them as far away as he could so Sorey would recover. He knew Sorey was probably panicking but he couldn’t help it. He spent centuries waiting for him and he wasn’t prepared to lose Sorey after barely getting him back.  
  
_I could never protect him. I couldn’t stop him from sacrificing himself. I couldn’t come up with anything to save him. _  
  
Mikleo’s eyes widened as the intrusive thoughts filled his head, he knew it was just the malevolence messing with him but he couldn’t help but hesitate as he ran. He had spent years blaming himself, hours crying as he waited for Sorey. If it wasn’t for Edna and the others he was sure he would have become a hellion himself.  
  
He quickly shook his head before he narrowly avoided hitting a tree, quickly evading it before casting another arte over his shoulder. It was getting harder to see the trees as he ran blindly through the forest. _I’ll protect him. I won’t lose him, not this time. _He thought quietly as he stopped and turned to face the hellions. He couldn’t go any farther as the night took its hold on the forest, the bright eyes of the hellions the only indicator of their location as their dark fur hid them in the night.  
  
He knew he was being reckless, heck if the others could see him now they would tease him about letting his reckless side get to him, but he didn’t care. He vowed to do everything he could. Years ago when Gramps had first told Mikleo how he expected Sorey to leave Elysia, Mikleo had vowed to protect him. He didn’t care if he had to live his life surrounded by people who couldn’t hear or see him, if he could keep Sorey safe he would gladly sacrifice anything.  
  
Yet there was only so much damage he could do against the hellions but it didn’t stop him from fighting, even as more and more hellions seemed to appear from nowhere he continued to fight.  
  
Just as Mikleo was preparing to make a run for it again a hellion caught him off guard, slamming into his side and knocking him down. He gasped as the air was knocked out of his lungs. He quickly tried to get up to his feet but he knew he wouldn’t be able to evade the next attack as the larger white hellion ran at him, opening its mouth to deliver a deadly hit.  
  
“Stop!”  
  
Mikleo’s eyes widened as Sarah jumped in front of him, arms spread wide as she shielded him. Before he could yell for her to run he noticed the white hellion stop right before he slammed into her. It stood staring at her as she stood unwavering in front of Mikleo, who noticed how hard she was breathing, knowing she had probably ran as fast as she could to catch up to them.  
  
“Sarah, get out of here! You’ll get hurt!” Mikleo said as he struggled to stand up, the wound on his side throbbing with every breath he took.  
  
“No! This is my fault! If it wasn’t for me Riley would have never turned into a monster!” Sarah said as tears streamed down her face. Mikleo hesitated as he noticed the white hellion give out a pained sounded that sounded similar to a chocked sob.  
  
“Riley would never have hurt anyone, he loved people, he never meant to do anything wrong.” She said quietly as she stared at the hellion. “Riley...please stop…” she whispered as she showed him the wooden figure. Mikleo noticed the worn out marks on it, realizing that it wasn’t just a wooden figuring, but a dog toy of some kind.  
“Sarah…” Mikleo said as the white hellion whimpered and took a step back, yet from the corner of his eye Mikleo saw the other hellions quickly rally up and charge towards them. He quickly tried to locate his staff which he had dropped when he was taken down earlier. Yet he knew it would take too long as he quickly reached out for Sarah instead, pulling her close and hugging her protectively, shielding her from the attacks.  
  
Mikleo gave out a pained gasp as a hellion bit into his shoulder, but before he could feel anything else he heard a yelp of pain ring out next to him. Turning his head, he saw a flash of red as the hellion that had been clinging to his shoulder was sent flying towards the trees. His eyes widened as he recognized the ornamental sword before it moved in a blur, slamming into another hellion as Sorey let out a cry of anger. Blue flashes of lightning surrounded the sword as Sorey battled the hellions, swinging the sword with a vengeance.  
  
“Riley!”  
  
Mikleo’s head turned towards Sarah as she struggled against his arms, trying to get free as she watched. Yet when Mikleo turned towards Riley, he realized that Riley wasn’t attacking Sorey, but helping him. The two battled side by side as more hellions appeared. Mikleo kept a firm grip on Sarah as he reached carefully with his other hand for his staff. He hissed in pain as his wounded shoulder throbbed with pain, but he bit his lip as he raised his staff, casting a protection arte around Sorey and Riley as they battled. He wanted to jump up and fight alongside with Sorey, feeling useless as he lay on his knees on the floor.  
  
Yet with a shock he realized he was fighting alongside him. Ever since they were kids, Sorey would rush off without a thought about the dangers. Mikleo had always stayed next to him and protected him. Just because he wasn’t physically next to him swinging his staff didn’t mean that he was doing any less than when he stood back and defended him. He watched his back so Sorey could fight without hesitation. Even when they traveled with Rose and the others he had always protected Sorey and Sorey had never hesitated to leave himself in Mikleo’s care.  
  
Almost as if he knew what he was thinking, Sorey looked over to Mikleo, flashing him a quick grin before he charged back into battle. Mikleo couldn’t help but smile as he continued to defend his back.  
  
It didn’t take long before Sorey stood trying to catch his breath as the last hellion caught on fire before disappearing. The small clearing was eerily quiet as the Riley stood as the sole surviving hellion. Mikleo let Sarah wiggle out of his arms as she ran towards Riley before enveloping him in a hug.  
  
No matter how long Mikleo lived, he never thought he would see the day a human girl would hug a hellion without hesitation like at that moment. Sarah let out sobs as she buried her face in his white fur, apologizing and asking for forgiveness.  
  
“I’m so sorry Riley! Please forgive me!” she cried as he clung to Riley. As she looked up, she let out a soft gasp when instead of a wolf hellions face she saw a white fluffy dog, eyes staring at her with all the love and loyalty only a dog could give. Mikleo looked at them in surprise as a soft white light began to surround Riley, before he could completely disappear he gave a quick lick to Sarah’s cheek as his tail wagged happily.  
  
Sarah let out a chocked sob as the last of Riley disappeared into the night.  
  
“Mikleo!”  
  
Mikleo jumped slightly in surprise as Sorey fell to his knee next to him, looking over his wounds in worry. He opened his mouth to assure him that it wasn’t anything he couldn’t heal before he was enveloped into a tight hug. He hissed softly in pain when the wounds on his side and shoulder throbbed but Sorey loosened his grip quickly, yet he didn’t let go completely.  
  
“I thought I was going to lose you.” Sorey whispered quietly as he buried his face into Mikleo’s uninjured shoulder. A lump formed in Mikleo’s throat as he heard the pain and fear in Sorey’s words. He quickly cleared his throat before he carefully raised his uninjured hand, softly stroking Sorey’s hair.  
  
“You won’t get rid of me so easily, who will keep you fed if I’m not around?” he teased lightly as he let Sorey cling to him. Sorey let out a small chuckle as he clung to him as if Mikleo was the only thing keeping him from drowning. Mikleo let himself relax against him as the exhaustion started to catch up to him.  
  
As if noticing his exhaustion, Sorey quickly got up and gently pick up Mikleo, cradling him protectively against his chest. Mikleo let out an embarrassed gasp as he looked up at Sorey in surprise, turning a bright shade of red.  
  
“Sorey?! I can walk just fine!”  
  
Sorey smiled at him happily as he pulled him closer. “Don’t be stubborn Mikleo, you’re injured. And besides, it’s a thank you for carrying me earlier.” He replied easily before turning towards Sarah.  
  
“Sarah?”  
  
She shook her head as she wiped the tears away before turning towards them, smiling. “I’m ok…at least he’ll be at peace now.”  
  
Sorey nodded with a smile before they all headed back to the small house.  
  
As Sarah slept on the bed, Mikleo held still in front of their makeshift bed in front of the fire while Sorey wrapped his wounds in clean bandages. Mikleo had healed the worst of it but in his tired condition he couldn’t completely heal them. He watched as the fire light danced across Sorey’s hair and face, illuminating his jawline and bringing his eyelashes into focus as he stared down at Mikleo’s shoulder. He had a feeling Sorey was still thinking about the close call Mikleo had earlier as he stared at his wounds.  
  
Luckily his gloves had kept his hands safe from the branches as he had run through the forest, yet the same couldn’t be said about his face which was lined with small cuts from the branches.  
  
As Mikleo opened his mouth and looked up at Sorey to assure him once again he was fine, but he was taken by surprise when Sorey reached out and cradled his face gently in his hands. The words he was going to say flew out of his mind as he stared at Sorey’s eyes.  
  
Sorey kept his eyes locked onto Mikleo’s, his steady gaze unreadable as he gently ran a thumb over Mikleo’s cheek, softly caressing the small cuts that marked his face. A blush crept onto Mikleo’s face as he realized Sorey hadn’t looked at him like that in centuries, not since the night before the final battle with Heldalf.  
  
Mikleo felt captivated by the heavy look Sorey gave him before Sorey leaned in slowly and brushed a soft kiss against Mikleo’s cheeks, following the trail of the blush. Which only helped to darken the blush on his face further. Sorey kept his grip on his face gentle as he continued to map Mikleo’s face with his lips. His lips only softly brushing against his skin, almost like he was worried that any sudden movement would break Mikleo.  
  
Mikleo let out a soft sigh as he closed his eyes, letting himself enjoy the moment as Sorey gently gave a kiss to his eyelids before he gently kissed his circlet in the middle of his forehead. Mikleo shivered softly as he opened his eyes in time to see Sorey pull back and give him a soft smile, the smile Mikleo knew could easily melt any ice no matter how skilled the seraph, the smile that set off butterflies in his stomach and made his heart stop, the smile he knew he reserved for Mikleo.  
  
“Mikleo…I…” Sorey started softly before Mikleo placed a hand over his mouth carefully.  
  
“I know.” Mikleo said quietly as he gave him a smile of his own. He loved the way Sorey’s cheeks flushed as he leaned in and kissed him softly. Sorey didn’t hesitate to pull him closer, moving one of his hand behind his neck.  
  
Thought it only lasted for a moment, it held a life time of emotions as they leaned their forehead against each other, content to enjoy each other’s presence after the events of the day.  
  
The next day as they said their farewell to the town, Sarah approached them with the small wooden figure, pressing it into Mikleo’s hand with a smile before running back to the others. Though Mikleo hesitated to take such an important object, Sorey smiled and reassured him that she would be fine without it as they watched the people of the town envelop her with smiles and kind gestures.  
  
They waved a final time before they headed back south. Though it wasn’t long before Sorey reach out and intertwined his fingers with Mikleo’s.  
  
“Seems while I was away you miraculously managed to get over your fear of dogs.” He said lightly with a teasing tone.  
  
“Well, you have been gone a long time and I’m not the same as I was before.” Mikleo said proudly as he grinned over at Sorey.  
  
“Is that so? I guess I can finally get a dog since it won’t bother you anymore.”  
  
Mikleo came to a screeching halt, mouth hanging open in surprise before he saw Sorey smile teasingly, laughing at Mikleo’s reaction. “Seems you haven’t changed that much after all Mikleo.”  
  
Mikleo’s face burned bright red in embarrassement as he reached out to try to smack the smile off Sorey’s face but Sorey easily evaded it and ran off laughing.  
  
“Sorey! That’s not funny! You know I can’t run with my wounds!” Mikleo shouted after him as he quickened his pace none the less, following as Sorey smiled good naturally, his laugh as carefree and light as it has always been all those years ago.______


End file.
